The Secularization Of The Church And Christianity

As I see it, there is a dangerous secularization within the churches that is trying to secularize Christianity to make it fit the world’s standards, doing the opposite of what they should be trying to do.
 
And just to be clear, I’m not saying that every single individual church does this, or that every single individual Christian does this, but there are trends in many churches that are simply worrying to me at the very least.
 
Now, allow me to explain just what it is that I am talking about regarding the secularization of the church (as the bride of Christ) and of Christianity itself.
 
Recently, I read two articles from The Daily Wire. One was titled: “Pastor Loses Job After Church Sign Stating ‘Homosexuality Is Still A Sin’ Causes Uproar” and the other was an op-ed from Mike S. Adams titled: “Why I Have To Debate ‘Christian’ Serial Killers,” referencing pro-abortion people in the church who not simply ignore abortion, but straight up claim it is somehow morally right.
 
Adams writes that the silence from most Christians regarding abortion is “stunning”, reminding him of stories he had heard of German churches ignoring Jewish trains full of women and children crying out for help by singing hymns more loudly. Of course, these are simply stories that may or may not be true, but we are seeing the Left literally calling for people to “shout” their abortion. And it seems, at least when it comes to plenty of supposed “Christians” that abortion is not only an issue that is not discussed, but sometimes even advocated for. Plenty of times, either churches ignore the issue of abortion to instead focus on the sinfulness of Man (and just barely mentioning how we are already saved if we have received Christ into our hearts) or outright joining the Leftist thought-train of secularization and advocating for women’s “right” to have an abortion.
 
Similarly, it seems as though we have been less intent on pointing out and rebuking the sinfulness of homosexuality because it’s “cool” or “acceptable” now to be gay.
 
Which brings me to the other article, where Pastor Justin Hoke of Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church in Weed, California lost his job after his church sign read the following: “Bruce Jenner is still a man. Homosexuality is still a sin. The culture may change. The Bible does not.”
 
That seems like a perfectly reasonable and accurate church sign. But the sign still caused an uproar within the community.
 
Now, that in and of itself was not actually the reason for the pastor to lose his job. The community can say whatever it wants, but it ultimately can’t get rid of a pastor. However, the church can.
 
Pastor Hoke said that he was not exactly fired, but it was brought to his attention that just about everyone in the church with the exception of one couple said that they would leave the church if he continued preaching there.
 
And THAT is where we find a huge problem. 99% of the church members and all of the elders did not want Hoke, whose gravest sin was to preach against sin (which is HIS JOB), and threatened to leave the church if he continued doing exactly what he’s supposed to do.
 
Now, I get that this is California, particularly in a city called WEED. However, I looked into the church and what denomination it fell under. The Bible Presbyterian Church is a very conservative church. Unlike many other churches where it seems they teach literally the opposite of Christianity, the Bible Presbyterian Church follows the Westminster Standards of reformed doctrine. In other words, they’re as conservative as you can get.
 
And yet, despite its conservatism, the overwhelming majority of the body of the church was against what the pastor did, even though he was 100% right.
 
Bruce, or “Caitlyn” Jenner is still a man. It doesn’t matter what he looks like, or what parts he surgically added or removed, he is still a he because God made him that way.
 
Homosexuality is still 100% a sin. It doesn’t matter if the Left calls us homophobes for saying it, the Word of God makes this abundantly clear.
 
And that’s not to say any of us hate gay people, either. Quite the opposite in fact. If we hated gay people, we wouldn’t care to point out their sin and we wouldn’t try to save them. But we care for people’s souls – all people’s. So, we try to help them be saved.
 
And yet, even though the Bible is perfectly clear about homosexuality, almost every member of the church wanted the pastor gone because he was spreading the Truth.
 
When I look at where the church is headed, I worry. The Catholic Church has had multiple instances of highly immoral sexual misconduct with children. And yes, while that is also the case in many other places, particularly Leftist Hollywood, the Church is held to a higher standard than Hellywood (and yes, I’m thinking of calling it that from now on).
 
The fact that the people of a conservative church would threaten to leave a church if it retained a pastor who was SPREADING THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL is a massive red flag, even if it is in California.
 
Homosexuality is still a sin, regardless of what society might argue. Transgenderism is a mental issue, regardless of the Left’s attempts to normalize and encourage it. Abortion is death, regardless of what any man or woman might say.
 
These are all things that we should be tackling head on, not retreating on. We should tackle these things and rebuke these things because these things are immoral. And in challenging these things, we should not cower and apologize, and we should not be getting rid of pastors for challenging these things. We are Christians. We serve God, not Man. And as Christians, we should not worry about persecution; we should fully expect it. As Christians, we are hated for telling the Truth; the Truth of Christ, of God, of the Gospels, of the Bible.
 
Christianity cannot become secularized, lest we fall to sin forever. We cannot allow for it to fall to Man. We must pray to God that He may guide our steps so that we may continue to spread His Word, regardless of the physical consequences.
 
Why? Because it’s not just the most important thing – it’s the only important thing.
 
There is a reason people in China risk going to underground churches. They risk imprisonment because they’d rather be physically imprisoned than spiritually imprisoned.
 
There is a reason people in the Middle East so often come to Christ. Even though they risk not just imprisonment but outright death, they’d rather die the first death than the second.
 
And yet, I see so many self-professed “Christians” either ignoring the sins of Man or outright advocating for them, arguing that they are actually moral when the Bible proves otherwise.
 
I’ve often said that we need a Christian revival. When I say that, I don’t just mean more people coming to Christ who never said or thought they were Christians, but I also mean those who think they are Christians and argue they are doing God’s work but are not.
 
We need a Christian revival not just in America but around the world. We need to fully understand what it means to be a Christian. It means to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, through trial and tribulation on this Earth, following His teachings as best as we can, regardless of what society might say or argue. It means not fearing persecution but outright expecting it, knowing that whatever Man can do cannot compare to what God can do.
 
For it is better to die the most horrendous death imaginable at the hands of Man than it would be to be on the receiving end of God’s Righteous and Just Wrath.
 
Shame on those “Christians” who threatened to leave a church whose pastor follows and teaches the Word of God. But beyond that, I sincerely hope they come to their senses, understanding the error of their ways, and return to Christ.
 
Similarly, I hope those “Christians” who advocate for abortion, or at least “choice”, eventually repent of their sins for they are doing the work not of God but of the Devil.
 
I hope and pray we can fight back against the secularization of the churches and of Christianity. It’s definitely not the first time the collective church has had such challenges, but here’s hoping we can overcome and defeat such challenges once again.
 
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
 
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Author: Freddie Marinelli.